It’s the talk this
week—the lottery jackpot is estimated at more than a billion dollars! Nearly everyone’s chattering about what to do
with it—even the group of Presbytery leaders I was with yesterday. It was infectious! “What would YOU do with the money?” “Oh, I don’t play, either; but if you won, do
you know what you’d do?”
I’ve seen
first-hand the damaged lives that result from lotteries and gambling; what proponents
call “gaming” and “entertainment” robs spouses and children, and destroys lives. Even when a portion of the “proceeds” are set
aside for public schools, or in Pennsylvania, to “support older adults”—it’s
such a sham, because these payouts shroud the real truth that these millions
are a mere drop in the bucket compared to what the profiteers gain! And that’s not the winners.
More than the
money, gaming and gambling are addictive behaviors; they come with similar warnings
akin to what we require for cigarettes that cause cancer—you can’t advertise
your casino without letting people know “there’s help for people who can’t
stop.” But my personal reason for not
wanting to win the lottery comes from the research that these “winners,” at
almost any level and not just the big winners, have the same psychological appearance
as someone who just suffered the death of a close family member or friend. People who “win” experience the feelings of
people who have “lost.”
Despite these and
other dire warnings, even the people of Jesus, though the Ten Commandments
would forbid it, seem to still lust after and covet the “winnings”—even if “we
never play the lottery.” The infection
tries its best to convince us to “think of all the good we could accomplish if
that kind of gift were given to the Church, or especially if the winner could
be a bonafide tithing Church member!”
I know of a church
that received a $12million bequest from a person who wasn’t even a church member! I know another church that a $4million gift rent
asunder. I’ve also been the pastor who
received the anonymous envelope addressed to the church, with the supposed “winning
McDonald’s game pieces” inside; or the check made out for millions—that wasn’t
authentic.
Money tends not to
solve any more problems than it creates.
And yet, the truth is that even while I never play the lottery, I too,
am envious of just a little bit of money that could make my family a little
more comfortable. I too, am not immune
to the temptation to believe a little money would solve some of my Church’s
problems. A little money—we believe—but
not a little Jesus.
If we thought we
needed a little more Jesus, we’d have to do something else with our money. Because Jesus never seems to have any
money! The closest Jesus comes to having
money is the coin that miraculously appears in the fishes’ mouth to pay the tax. And though at some point I’m willing to
concede that Jesus has family members or supporters who appear to be people of
means, Jesus never appears to have money in his tunic or set aside anywhere. Instead, what is infinitely clear, is that
Jesus always appears in a race to give everything he has away. Jesus is always sharing with others by ministering
to those who are down on their luck, disenfranchised by the rich, or suffering
from horrific conditions of disease and poverty.
AND, to followers,
Jesus would teach a perpetual lifestyle of giving everything away, of holding
nothing back, of being wholly invested in the Kingdom of God and in making
other’s lives better.
Believe me, I get
it. Faithful people can do faith-filled
things with our money—including enabling the work of congregations and organizations
aligned with the teachings of the gospels.
I support “tithing” and giving money through one’s faith community and
then still helping other causes with additional and sacrificial giving. Money is a tool it’s not in and of itself
inherently evil—though the Bible calls it the root of all evil. Maybe that’s because we see money as a kind
of saving grace for our troubles rather than a little Jesus.
The kind of ministry
Jesus comes to fulfill is proclaimed by John the Baptist when Jesus is baptized—we
read the story during Advent anticipating the coming of Christ, and we
revisited the story (at least by association) as we celebrated Jesus’ baptism
this past Sunday--
The crowds asked [John], “What then should we do?” In reply he said, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.” Tax collectors came to be baptized, and asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?” He said, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.” Soldiers also asked, “And we, what should we do?” He said, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.” As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah….” (Luke 3: 10-15)
Sharing with
others and being satisfied is the word that Jesus enfleshes and would teach to
those who follow him. In fact, this “good
news” is recognized by the crowds as the Messiah’s work! Not a lifestyle of trying to win or receive,
but rather, to give everything away.
I understand why
we don’t like giving everything away—“if we give it all away, what will we have
to live on?” What I don’t get is why we
aren’t trying harder to give away what we clearly don’t need to live on; or,
why we settle for wanting more when we should be giving more. According to Jesus.
© Rev. David Stipp-Bethune; Teaching Elder and
Pastor, The Presbyterian Church of Llanerch, Havertown, Pennsylvania
